One Last, Second Chance in Miami

Jets Stop Dolphins With Overtime Field Goal in Accident-Prone Divisional Game; More Concerns Over Revis Injuries

ENLARGE

Jets receiver Jeremy Kerley had a big impact against Miami despite making only two catches, including a seven-yard touchdown.
Getty Images

By

Mike Sielski

Updated Sept. 23, 2012 8:44 p.m. ET

MIAMI—Amid the chaos, Nick Folk was calm.

Around him, some 60,000 people at Sun Life Stadium were screaming Sunday, delirious that their Miami Dolphins had blocked Folk's 33-yard overtime field-goal attempt. On the Jets' sideline, Mark Sanchez couldn't watch—he never watches overtime field-goal tries.

But Folk knew what was happening. He had heard the blare of an official's whistle, the sound stopping play—and negating the block—because the Dolphins had called a timeout to ice Folk before his kick. Folk knew the Jets' linemen had heard it, too. They had stopped blocking.

"Wouldn't you stop if you had a big guy running at you after a whistle?" Folk said.

NYJ - 23

MIA - 20 OT

On his second try, Folk drilled the kick, providing an ugly if important 23-20 victory and delivering a satisfying end to what could turn out to be a bittersweet day for the Jets, who are 2-1 this season and in first place in the AFC East. Though the Jets showed no small measure of fortitude in overcoming their own sloppy play to win, the most significant long-term repercussion from Sunday's contest could be the condition of cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Revis had missed last week's loss to the Steelers with post-concussion effects, and it took less than three quarters Sunday for his health to become a worry for the Jets again.

After Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed a pass to running back Daniel Thomas with 4:06 left in the third quarter, Revis moved forward to pursue Thomas and make a tackle. When Revis planted his left foot into the sod, his left knee buckled, and he dropped to the ground, writhing there for several minutes. No one had touched him on the play.

He left the game and didn't return, and a Jets spokesman said the team would provide no updates on Revis's status until after he had undergone an MRI on Monday.

The Jets' display of resilience and their good fortune allowed them to savor the victory despite Revis's injury. Until Folk's field goal, the game was mostly a carnival of errors for them, of interceptions, incompletions and general incompetence whenever they had chances to score touchdowns or cut a Dolphins drive short.

They dropped at least four passes. They committed nine penalties. Self-described as a "ground-and-pound" team, they averaged fewer than three yards per rush attempt.

Sanchez completed just 21 of his 45 passes and threw two interceptions—including one that capped an embarrassing series in which the Jets had second-and-goal on the Miami 2-yard line before losing five yards on a Tim Tebow carry and turning the ball over. On one play, Tebow ran an out pattern as a receiver and was late in turning around. Sanchez's pass plunked him in the back of the head.

"In some instances, we didn't execute," said safety LaRon Landry, who intercepted a Tannehill pass and returned it 18 yards for the Jets' first touchdown. "But we finished."

Their saving grace was the Dolphins' own array of mistakes—kicker Dan Carpenter missed a 47-yard field goal in regulation and a 48-yarder in overtime—and Sanchez's strong play late. He completed eight of his last 13 passes for 117 yards, zipping a seven-yard touchdown on a slant to Jeremy Kerley to give the Jets a 20-17 lead with 3:01 left in regulation and connecting with Santonio Holmes (nine catches, 124 yards) on a gorgeous 38-yard pass to set up Folk's winner.

As Folk lined up his overtime kick the first time, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin did what he said he planned to do all along: call a timeout just as the Jets were about to snap the ball. "That was the thing to do," Philbin said, "and we did it."

Sanchez never heard the referee's whistle himself; with his back turned to the field, he had backup quarterback Greg McElroy describe the action to him. When Folk's second kick sailed through the uprights, Sanchez punched McElroy in the ribs in jubilation—"so hard, I'm going to have a bruise," McElroy said. The game had lasted exactly four hours. Folk patted a couple of teammates on their heads as they swarmed toward him. Ryan just laughed.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.